Organized Cricket Fighting

[Donkey]

I read in the paper the other day that somebody had been arrested for organizing cricket fighting... Do crickets fight each other to the death ? In my local pet shop they have a whole tank of crickets ( food for lizards ), why don't these fight till death? how do you make two crickets fight ?

[andy hughes]

Certain species of insect will fight over territory, or in this case, probably over a female. Just because they don't bleed or scream like dogs opr badgers does not make the practice of organised fighting any less barbaric, so I'm pleased to hear that someone may be punished for organising such 'entertainment'.

[New Forester]

Where was this, Donkey? I quite agree how barbaric it is, but I'm not aware of a UK law which would stop organised fighting of insects. Cruelty legislation tends not to cover insects, not yet, at any rate. I suspect these are some kind of field cricket -- they are very territorial, each male guarding a burrow. They're quite big, about 2 in or 5 cm long -- now almost extinct in UK, but still common in warmer parts of Europe. Otherwise they look just like the house crickets and similar things they sell in shops to feed lizards etc on. Other animals used for similar fighting include Siamese "fighting fish", cocks, dogs, and no doubt many others. Cock and dog fighting are definitely illegal in UK and in most other Western countries.

[andytreble99]

i suspect it may have had more to do with the sport than the insect ;)

[wildwood]

I think it was in HongKong and the arrests were for the gambling that went on, but cricket fighting has been an popular pastime in (ancient) China.

[apricot]

Are you sure it wasn't fighting at cricket? You know like football fights.

[microfish]

well spotted, apricot. [they'll be telling us not to kill flies next]

[drunk crik]

It is not illegal to fight crickets. It is illegal to gamble or bet on them, although you will not see this game at any casinos since the odds aren't what the house likes them to be 50/50 hehe.

[Donkey]

drunk chic, arent the odds when you put chips on odd or even in a casino 50/50